Tag: Comic Con

When Author Events Don’t Work out as Planned

k. rowe booth at comic conOkay, this isn’t supposed to be a downer of a post. But, it’s something writers might have to face. It happened to me March 21-24 this year. Some of you may remember that every year for the last three years I’ve had a booth at our local comic con. This year was no exception. I share a booth with my artist friend and we have a lot of fun.

Last year was a dream come true. Our sales were huge! We each made more than enough to cover our portion of the booth fee for the next year (something of a benchmark we’ve come up with). And this year we were expecting the same. Except, that’s not what happened. Continue reading “When Author Events Don’t Work out as Planned”

Maximum Effort, Minimum Profits for an Author Event

Louisville Comic ConSometimes, despite the best planning and execution, stuff doesn’t go right. As an indie author, you should always keep this in mind. It’s especially true when doing book events. In March, I attended a large local comic con. Deciding that wasn’t enough punishment (we minions are hard-headed!), I signed up for one in Louisville, the Derby City Comic Con, which is three hours from my home.

Comic Cons are a longshot for authors because most folks are there to see celebrities and get comics. Not many are looking for their next great novel. But it’s a good venue to meet and greet thousands of people and hopefully get your name out there. Despite the March con being financially painful, I thought I’d take lessons learned and see if I could shave $$s off this one. The price for the booth was $100 less than Lexington, which made me happy. I already had bookmarks, business cards, a banner, and a good stock of books. My illustrator invited me to crash on his sofa (he lives in Lexington and Louisville is roughly 1hr 20min away), so I’d be driving more, but not having to pay for a pricey hotel. And I’d stocked up on munchies so I didn’t have to buy expensive concession foods. I thought all was going to be good. Continue reading “Maximum Effort, Minimum Profits for an Author Event”

The Cost of a Comic Con for an Indie Author

Comic Con Lexington K. Rowe BoothA couple of months ago I wrote about becoming a vendor at a local comic con. Now that all is said and done, I’m ready to tell you how much it cost, and what I gained from it. For a first time experience, I can’t exactly say what the gold standard is, but I can share my experiences as an author in a widely commercial setting.

Okay, let’s crunch some numbers. I have to admit, it was a good case of sticker shock. For an Indie author, going to an event such as this is a leap of faith. And I was crazy enough to take that leap. These totals are for the three-day Lexington Comic and Toy Convention (Kentucky) which started on a Friday evening and ran until Sunday afternoon. My big plan was to debut a new release so folks would feel like they were getting in on something new and great — and that idea worked!

Here is the breakdown for you: Continue reading “The Cost of a Comic Con for an Indie Author”

Prepping for a Comic Con

Lexington Comic ConLast March, I attended the Lexington Comic and Toy Convention (LCTC) in downtown Lexington Kentucky. It was about a two hour drive for us — not bad considering the fickle weather the area can have. It was my first con ever, and I went as a spectator. Wow, was I blown away! While the LCTC isn’t huge, it’s still draws celebrities and brings in over 20,000 people during the three-day event.

While perusing the hundreds of booths, I discovered not all of them are totally comic-related. There were folks selling cosplay gear, novelties, toys, and even one booth selling cute furry little sugar gliders. And there were authors — a fair number of them. That got my mind churning. So when we got home, I jumped on the computer and started doing research. A check of my author’s bank account left me feeling reasonably comfortable that I could afford this. Continue reading “Prepping for a Comic Con”